Hamilton and Auckland and under scrutiny as it was revealed that in just under 30 years they have lost between 20%-30% of all green space. As outlined this loss is nearly all from private residential land.
More backyards and sections were being turned into housing, and new builds tend to put larger houses on smaller sections. The new economic environment has influenced individuals to ultimately turn their beautiful backyards into money pits, but at what cost?
The value that green spaces hold is not just environmental, but also social. Upton said green spaces should not be optional, yet many councils were struggling to improve the quality and availability of public green spaces to compensate for the loss of private yards and gardens as well as the increasing demand for housing.
A few solutions were discussed including greening out car parks, building more high rises to ensure green space are available, but Upton advises that Councils should be more proactive about buying land to be turned into parks, because once its gone, its hard to go back.
What do you think we should do?
Check out the original story below.
Original story Hamish Cardwell, RNZ https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/486096/auckland-lost-up-to-30pc-green-space-since-1980-environment-commissioner